Sarcoidosis, also called sarcoid disease or Besnier-Boeck disease, is a multisystem granulomatous inflammatory disease that can affect a variety of organs (e.g., lungs, skin, heart, eyes, liver, nervous system, kidneys, or musculoskeletal system). The etiology of sarcoidosis has remained unknown, though it has been linked to alterations in the immune response after exposure to an environmental, occupational, or infectious agent in genetically susceptible individuals.
Steroid therapy (e.g., corticosteroids such as prednisone) has been the standard treatment for sarcoidosis. However, the use of corticosteroids has a number of drawbacks. For example, certain patients do not respond to steroid therapy. In addition, corticosteroids have several serious side effects, and their use is typically limited to progressive or severe conditions. Accordingly, there exists a need for new methods of treating sarcoidosis, using, for example, human placental stem cells.